An Integrated Approach to Assessment and Planning

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An Integrated Approach to Assessment and Planning

• Wanda Dole, John Barnett, Maureen James, Suzanne
  Martin, Donna Rose, University of Arkansas at
  Little Rock
• Daryl Youngman, Kansas State University
• 7th Northumbria Conference, 2007

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Outline

• Introduction
• Strategic Planning
• Assessment
• Two case studies
• K-State University
• UALR
• Conclusions

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Introduction

• Are we any closer to knowing whether performance
  measures lead to library effectiveness than when
  the debate began 25 to 30 years ago? Cullen
  (1998)
• Our response
• Yes, in the area of library planning

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Who we are

• Youngman, strategic planning at K-State 1999 ff.
  Consulting in Kansas
• Dole, UALR.
• Since Library School (UIUC)
• Strategic Planning (PSU, SUNY SB, WU, UALR)
  Assessment (SUNY SB, WU)
• Barnett, James, Martin, Rose, UALR
• no experience with strategic planning or
  assessment

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Strategic Brief History

• Strategic Planning as a Management Tool
• 1960s, Used in business
• 1970s -1990s, Adopted by academe and libraries
• Early 1990s, Many libraries did Strategic
  Planning
• 1999/2000s, Renewed interest
• Characteristics of Strategic Planning

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Strategic Planning History

• Strategic Planning in Business
• George Steiner (1979) et al.
• Adapted for Academe
• Robert Cope (1978)
• Philip Kotler Patrick Murphy (1981)
• George Keller (1983)
• Richard Jonsen (1986)

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Strategic Planning in Libraries

• Late 1970s early 1990s
• Charles McClure (1978)
• James S. Healey (1981)
• Donald Riggs (1987)
• Brice Hobrock (1991)
• Meredith Butler Hiram Davis (1992)
• Joseph Matthew (2005)

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Characteristics of Strategic Planning

• Definition A planning philosophy that links
  programs to the external environment.. Hobrock
  (1991)
• Characteristics
• Provides a roadmap to the future
• Active, not passive
• Looks outward and forward
• Focuses on decisions

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Characteristics

• Strategic Planning links librarys priorities to
• -Priorities of the parent institution
• -Needs of library users
• -Allocation of resources

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Steps in Planning

• Develop vision for future state of library
• Develop set of core values as framework for staff
  in achieving the vision
• Identify critical issues in the environment
  (SWOT)
• Develop goals and strategies to allow the library
  to move toward the future state
• Matthews (2005), Jacobs (1990)

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Strategic Planning a Change Agent

• Changing a culture requires the constant redesign
  of the infrastructure and frame of reference that
  that define appropriate and inappropriate values,
  expectations and activities. Covey (2002, 163)
• Strategic planning can do this

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History of Assessment

• Overview
• Cullen (1998)
• Kyrillidou (2002)
• Blixrud Dole (2005)
• Matthews (2006)

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Assessment

• From the library at Alexandria up to the present
  day, libraries have judged themselves and each
  other in terms of collections Cullen (1998, 4)

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Assessment

• Input/Output Measures
• Operating budgets
• Collections, staffing, facilities
• Statistical analysis
• Bibliometrics
• Benchmarking

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Assessment

• Techniques from business
• Systems analysis
• Management by Objective
• Total Quality Management
• Re-engineering
• Baldridge
• Deming

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Assessment

• Outcomes measurement
• Response to call for accountability in higher
  education
• Difficult
• Service Quality/User Satisfaction
• ARL New Measures

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Two Case Studies in Planning Assessment
K-State and UALR

• K-State
• Carnegie Research Intensive
• Enrolls 23,000 students
• Over 2,000 faculty
• Overall operating budget of 15 million
• 57 Librarians
• 49 Support Staff

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Strategic Planning at K-State

• 1982, first 5-year plan
• Mission
• 7 goals
• 1987, strategic plan with
• Mission
• Vision
• Value
• Goals strategies

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Strategic Planning at K-State

• 1992-1997, true strategic plan
• 1st Consultant
• Broad participation of library faculty staff

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Strategic Planning at K-State

• 1999-2004
• Integration of assessment
• SERVQUAL (local version)
• Focus groups
• Performance measurement (Kantor studies)
• LibQUAL, 2003
• Organizational change
• Culture of Assessment

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Planning at K-State Current Status

• 2005 new Dean, new Plan
• Consultant
• Library-wide planning retreat
• Planned organizational change
• LibQUAL, 2005

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Strategic Planning at K-State

• What worked?
• What didnt work?
• Effects of combining assessment planning

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K-States plan is available at

• http//www.lib.k-state.edu/geninfo/plan/L

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Two Case Studies in Planning Assessment
K-State and UALR

• UALR
• Carnegie Doctoral/Research institution
• Enrolls 12,000 students
• Over 800 faculty
• Overall operating budget of 4.8 million
• 13 Librarians
• 25 Support Staff

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Strategic Planning at UALR

• 1970s, 80s, 90s
• Planning, mainly brainstorming
• Top-down
• Unstructured approach
• No assessment

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Strategic Planning at UALR

• August 2006, strategic planning retreat
• Outside consultant
• Broad participation of library faculty staff
• Development of mission vision statements
• 2006 present
• Working groups revise mission vision
• New groups formed to develop goals strategies

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Strategic Planning at UALR

• July 2007, 2nd retreat
• Working groups ALL agree that planning must
  include assessment
• Assessment plan formed
• Focus groups, fall 2007
• MTG campus survey of student satisfaction
• LibQUAL, spring 2008

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Strategic Planning at UALR

• We will evaluate and report back to you
• What worked?
• What didnt work?
• Effects of combining assessment planning

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Conclusions

• Combination/assessment and strategic planning
• Not much in the literature
• K-State
• 1982-1999, planning alone
• 1999-present, assessment and planning
• UALR
• 2006, combination/assessment and planning

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Questions

• Is the combination of strategic planning
  assessment a new approach?
• Is it an example of the Culture of Assessment?
  (Lakos Phipps)
• Have other libraries done the same things?
• Had the same results?